Funding recreation projects by Mara Stine

Funding Recreation Projects: Trends and Tips

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Rocky Houston Oregon Parks and Recreation Department ORPA Conference, September 2014

Who is this guy? 

Rocky Houston 

Private sector – 5 years Finance & Sales  Commercial Consulting 

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Public sector -14 years Community Improvement  10 years Recreation Focus 

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

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Recreation Planning and Design Recreation Project Management Grant Program Administrator Grant Writer $8 million in successful grants since 2005 

Agenda Parks… the solution for everything  Developing a Plan  Community Donations  Grants  New(er) Ideas 

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Not here, the other side â&#x20AC;Ś

How do I get there?

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Your search for funding

Path to the moneyâ&#x20AC;Ś

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

How we all really do itâ&#x20AC;Ś

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Traditional funding tipsâ&#x20AC;Ś

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Can we do it better?

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Putting it together… One source of funding rarely happens  Need to build a funding portfolio for projects 

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Parks are the Solution Community Revitalization Promotion of Tourism

Arts and Cultural Promotion

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Community Engagement

Economic Development

Parks

Improvements in Public Health

Safer Neighborhoods

Learning Improvements for Children

Green Infrastructure

Parks Create… 

Community Revitalization Parks that serve as central walking, resting, and meeting places can revive failing or threatened commercial areas.  Revitalization tends to attract ever more investment.  Community residents working together on a neighborhood park project, can turn around a distressed residential area. 

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

https://www.planning.org/cityparks/briefingpapers.htm

Parks Create… 

Community Engagement Parks are one of the quickest and most effective ways to build a sense of community and improve quality of life.  Parks provide places for people to connect and interact in a shared environment.  Parks channel positive community participation by getting diverse people to work together toward a shared vision. 

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

https://www.planning.org/cityparks/briefingpapers.htm

Parks Create… 

Economic Development Real property values are positively affected.  Municipal revenues are increased  Affluent retirees are attracted and retained  Knowledge workers and talent are attracted to live and work  Homebuyers are attracted to purchase homes 

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

https://www.planning.org/cityparks/briefingpapers.htm

Parks Create… 

Safer Neighborhoods 

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Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

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Time spent in nature immediately adjacent to home helps people to relieve mental fatigue, reducing aggression. Green residential spaces are gathering places where neighbors form social ties that produce stronger, safer neighborhoods. Barren spaces are more frightening and crime prone than parks landscaped with greenery and open vistas.

https://www.planning.org/cityparks/briefingpapers.htm

Parks Create… 

Green Infrastructure 

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Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

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Creating an interconnected system of parks and open space is manifestly more beneficial than creating parks in isolation. Cities can use parks to help preserve essential ecological functions and to protect biodiversity. Cities can use parks to reduce public costs for stormwater management, flood control, transportation, and other forms of built infrastructure.

https://www.planning.org/cityparks/briefingpapers.htm

Parks Create… 

Learning Improvements for Children 

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Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

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City parks offer children the daily benefits of direct experience with nature — the motivation to explore, discover, and learn about their world and to engage in health-promoting, physical activity. City parks offer children a sense of place, self-identity, and belonging as an antidote to social alienation, vandalism, and violence. City parks engage children in informal, experiential learning through play and shared experiences with peers, laying the foundation for effective formal education. City parks provide a valuable resource for closing the educational achievement gap in communities. City parks offer a vehicle for children's participation in community development, citizenship, and democratic processes.

https://www.planning.org/cityparks/briefingpapers.htm

Parks Create… 

Improvements in Public Health 

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Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

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Parks provide people with contact with nature, known to confer certain health benefits and enhance well-being. Physical activity opportunities in parks help to increase fitness and reduce obesity. Parks resources can mitigate climate, air, and water pollution impacts on public health. Cities need to provide all types of parks, to provide their various citizen groups with a range of health benefits.

https://www.planning.org/cityparks/briefingpapers.htm

Parks Create… 

Arts and Cultural Programs 

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Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

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Cities today use parks for a wide range of artistic events and activities. Parks can provide a setting for in-depth and longterm partnerships between communities and artists. Arts activity can play an integral role in the revitalization of a park. Arts and cultural programs in parks can help arts organizations develop new audiences and can provide suitable rehearsal and performance space.

https://www.planning.org/cityparks/briefingpapers.htm

Parks Create… 

Promotion of Tourism 

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Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

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Parks provide sites for special events and festivals that attract tourists. Parks provide sites for sports tournaments, which can be major sources of tourism and economic benefits, especially for smaller cities. Large urban parks with zoos, memorials, museums, cultural and heritage artifacts, and historical sites can attract tourists. Parks with landscape planting and design that are recognized as "living works of art" can be tourist attractions.

https://www.planning.org/cityparks/briefingpapers.htm

Parks Create… 

Reductions in Climate Change 

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Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

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Parks moderate artificially higher temperatures from the urban heat island effect through shading and evapotranspiration. Parks enhance local wind patterns in cities through the park breeze (cooler air over parks replaces warmer air in adjacent city neighborhoods). Parks mitigate local precipitation anomalies amplified by the urban heat island effect. Parks sequester carbon and other pollutants trapped by the urban heat island that may otherwise alter local and global atmospheric composition.

https://www.planning.org/cityparks/briefingpapers.htm

Your Project is the Solution Community Revitalization Promotion of Tourism

Arts and Cultural Promotion

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Community Engagement

Economic Development

You

Improvements in Public Health

Safer Neighborhoods

Learning Improvements for Children

Green Infrastructure

Developing a Plan

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Developing a Plan Capital Campaign A set of fundraising and outreach activities focused on raising money for a specific defined need.

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Developing a Plan Common campaign characteristics

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

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A narrowly defined need or focus of campaign

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A specific financial goal A timeframe for meeting the goal An identified group of volunteers A focus on raising major gifts & grants A plan for recognition of major gift donors

Assess the Environment 

Organizational Capacity 

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SWOT Analysis

Environmental Scan Community Capacity  Local successes  Competing local initiatives 

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

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Resource Scan Local Donor Pool  Local Funding Opportunities 

Build the Case 

By the numbers Need  Users 

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By meeting the plans Park Master Plan  Comprehensive Plan  SCORP  Others Plans… 

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Develop Message 

Practice message 

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First with friends of project

Create Multiple Tools Print Materials  PowerPoint  Video  Verbal Kung Fu Presentations 

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

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1 minute, 2 minute, 5 minute, etc.

Choosing the Targets Fear

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

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Grants Donations Sponsorships Bonds Or ...

Hope

Reality

Community Donations

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Friend Building 

East Bay Regional Park District (CA) 

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Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Regional Parks Foundation has provided over $30 million in donations, grants and in-kind services for the district since 1969

OPRD receives over 500,000 hours every year in “sweat equity” from volunteers

Sweat Equity Gets projects completed  Provides opportunities for creating community ownership  Often can be match for grants  **Volunteers do require work and effort 

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Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

But, sometimes a volunteer can serve that role as well

Donor Identification ID connections with community, project, issue or legacy  ID personal relationships 

Friend asking vs cold call  Friendly shaming – “Betty gave X” 

Develop core team for ask  Consider challenge gifts 

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

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Match amount raised during x period

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Standard Giving Pyramid

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

In-Kind Donations 

Technical Services & Contractors 

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Provide free or reduced labor, equipment

Suppliers 

Provide free or reduced materials

National Guard  Usually can be used as match for grants  Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Donor Table

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Number of Donors

Amount of Donation

Prospects Needed

$100,000

$50,000

$25,000

$10,000

$5,000

$1,000

150

200

$500

300

Total Donations

$700,000

Donor Pyramid â&#x20AC;&#x201C;

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

added value

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Making the match: 

What grant program it is… 

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What your project is and is not 

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Grant funds x,y & z only Watch out for the “magic project”

Grants

Making the match: 

Grant program’s tone 

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Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

What to focus on in the application

Support 

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How to write the application

Grant program’s criteria 

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Grants

Who do they care supports it

Grant selection process 

Who to send and where to spend your time and energy (application vs presentation vs networking)

Recreational Grants Recreational Trails Program (RTP)  Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Grant Program  Local Government Grant Program (LGGP)  All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Grant Program  Rivers and Trails Program (NPS) 

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

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List of 50+ grant programs related to trails…

Online Grant Applications

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

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Cannot match federal LWCF funds with other federal funds.

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Minimum grant request is $25,000 for a total project cost of $50,000.

www.oprdgrants.org

Heritage Grants Heritage Grant Program  Museum Grants Program  Historic Cemetery Grant Program  Preserving Oregon Program  Diamonds in the Rough Grant Program  Veterans & War Memorial Grants  CLG Grant Program  Main Street Program 

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Natural Resource Grants OWEBB Grant Program  CREPS  USDA  Rural Development Programs  Numerous Federal 

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Transportation Grants 

ODOT’s Enhance Grants 

Linking your project to: 

Livability, Active Transportation, etc.

Transportation Growth Management  Federal Lands Access Program 

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Tourism Grants Travel Oregon  Travel Oregon Matching Grants Program  Rural Tourism Studio Matching Grants  Wine Country License Plate Grans Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Private Foundations The top giving foundations in the state of OR

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Foundation Name The Oregon Community Foundation Intel Foundation The Ford Family Foundation Meyer Memorial Trust Nike Foundation The Lemelson Foundation The Collins Foundation Maybelle Clark MacDonald Fund Northwest Health Foundation The Harold and Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation Oregon Jewish Community Foundation The PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning Juan Young Trust JELD-Wen Foundation The Salem Foundation The Autzen Foundation The Herbert A. Templeton Foundation

Total Annual Giving $82,148,868 $40,481,300 $26,159,959 $22,175,767 $13,840,324 $11,940,587 $8,233,800 $4,350,829 $4,229,947 $3,075,306 $2,136,195 $1,575,500 $1,400,000 $1,375,960 $1,029,467 $979,473 $941,422

We are not aloneâ&#x20AC;Ś

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

New(er) Ideas

Land Trusts Provide partnership opportunities  Have existing networks of friends and donors  Acquire land, provide conservation easements  Provide volunteers and other resources 

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

SDC Fees 

System Development Fees Many communities have fees that are charged to new development  They are designed to offset the cost of their system (including parks).  Source for new development 

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Crowd Sourcing 

Gateway Green raised $100k in less than a month https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/buildgateway-green  https://vimeo.com/104057364 

 Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Easy to start & manage

Sponsorships & Partnerships

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Sponsorship Examples

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Sponsorship Resources    

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

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Corporate Connection, by Phil Hayward, Parks and Recreation, 04/2011 A Corporate Sponsorship Toolbox, Canadian Heritage Partnering Framework, 2002 Name Your Price, by Phil Hayward, Parks and Recreation, 04/2011 State Parks Seek Corporate Donors to Stay Open, by Linda Baker, Governing, August 2011 - Alternate title on print copy: Paying for Parks What's in a Name? by Dianne Hoover, Parks and Recreation, 08/2006 Library Loan

Bonds 

Focused funds primarily for capital improvements Metro  Tualatin Hills Parks & Recreation Dept.  Hillsboro Parks & Recreation  Bend Metro Parks & Recreation 

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Tourism Taxes 

We all want others to help pay for it 

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Tillamook County 10% rate on transient lodging  70% of funds raised dedicated to fund tourism promotion, tourism-related facilities or administrative costs associated with tourism-related facilities 

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

If we are creating an attraction and they pay for it (tourists)…even better

In review Parks are the Solution (for everything)  Understand Organization’s Capacity  Have a Plan  Have more than one funding solution  Aim before you shoot  It’s hard work  And remember… 

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department